The ongoing anti-war demonstrations at college campuses across the country and the lackluster turnout in the midterm elections show just how disappointed California voters are with elected leaders. Californians, who are younger, progressive, and more ethnically diverse when compared to the rest of the nation, demand that our statewide elected officials uphold our progressive values.
In the US Senate race, these same voters rallied behind Congresswoman Barbara Lee because of her lived experience as a Black woman and single mother, as well as her stand on the issues impacting many young people across the country. While Congressman Adam Schiff emerged as the winner among the democrats, seemingly cementing his spot in the US Senate in a reliably blue state, he has yet to win the support of this voting block. If Schiff and the democrats want to mobilize young, progressive, and people of color in the November elections, they must take a cue from Lee’s campaign and her long body of legislative work.
Lee’s leadership is rooted in challenges and adversities she experienced, like most working-class people and unlike most members of Congress. She grew up in a community in El Paso, Texas, adversely affected by toxic pollution. She also witnessed first-hand the challenges immigrant and working-class communities have had to overcome. Her struggles, as someone who experienced housing insecurity, discrimination, racism, and domestic violence, are known all too well by millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet in today’s economy. Her calls for a living wage, rent relief, and health care for all, are overwhelmingly supported by progressive and working-class voters. These are the issues that matter to the people who can make a difference in the election.
Lee is also unwavering on issues informed by her principles and values. Her legacy includes championing criminal justice reform, global peace, and climate justice. She pushed for the decriminalization of marijuana, ending the racist “tough on crime” narrative, and repealing “three strikes” laws that disproportionately harm Black and Latinx communities. As an early supporter of the Green New Deal, Lee knows first-hand that people of color and working-class communities are disproportionately affected by climate change. Today, as the death toll has surpassed 35,000 people in Palestine, Lee was the only senate candidate calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, Schiff remains slow to step up on behalf of the vast majority of Americans and the global community who are urging for solutions to all these issues.
Schiff is no stranger to taking a stance on important racial and social justice issues. Notably, he signed on as a co-sponsor for Congresswoman Lee’s federal legislation that would create a commission to study and develop reparations for African Americans. Nevertheless, his voting history on racial justice causes has been a mixed bag. His legislative record also includes supporting criminal justice laws that target and disproportionately harm Black and Latino communities. Bygone are the days of uninhibited, grand-sweeping conviction laws that have resulted in the US housing the largest population of prison inmates in the world. Furthermore, as our state continues to experience the devastating effects of climate change, Schiff continues to accept campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry. In order to truly represent his California constituents, Schiff should refuse donations from Big Oil, climate deniers, and “tough on crime” advocates like police unions and the private prison industry.
Progressives envision a country that delivers freedom, justice, and equity for all at home and global peace abroad. To this end, Schiff needs to support the Green New Deal, champion comprehensive immigration reform, join the fight for criminal justice reform, continue fighting for racial justice, create legislation that lifts working families out of poverty, and advocate for peace worldwide. California deserves and demands better from our next US Senator.
